JEDDAH — A new online survey for Cirium reveals the impact of flight delays and cancellations and the need for better management of flight disruption, with more communication via proactive flight updates for affected passengers.

A staggering 80% of those surveyed online said they would be likely to use an app which alerted their friends, family or company about their delay.

In 2018, approximately 3.9 million flights – or 10,700 a day – were delayed by over 30 minutes or canceled globally, affecting over 470 million passenger journeys around the world.

Flight delays and cancellations cost airlines in the Middle East and globally over $30bn a year in lost revenue, in addition to costs borne by their passengers.

Airline flight delays and cancellations are caused by a wide range of factors, such as technical issues with aircraft, bad weather and medical diversions

The YouGov study conducted for Cirium showed well over a third of people (40%) polled online in the Middle East who had experienced a delayed or cancelled flight, did not find it easy to change their travel plans.

Airlines also had to bear the massive cost of disruption with flight delays and cancellations costing the equivalent of US$7 for every departing passenger – slightly less than the net profit per person per departing flight.

Jeremy Bowen, CEO of Cirium, said: “Flight delays and cancellations are an unfortunate aspect of modern air travel and can have a big impact on travelers, whether flying for business or leisure. We recognize that the cost of disruption for airlines is also a significant problem.”

“We all want to travel stress free and get people to where they want to go, which is why at Cirium we work closely with airlines around the world on initiatives which reduce the impact of disrupted flights.”

The survey revealed well over a third (41%) of those polled online only found out about their flight delay or cancellation once they had reached the airport. When asked 38% said they would prefer to be informed about a delay via a phone call.

When asked, 34% of those polled online in the Middle East said they would be most frustrated if their leisure trip was affected and 30% if their flight was for business reasons.

More than a third (37%) said they would be most understanding if a flight was delayed or cancelled because of bad weather while almost a third (27%) said if their aircraft experienced a technical issue. However, only 10% would be most sympathetic with delays or cancellations due to problems caused by air traffic control.

The response from Middle East travelers was similar to those from the overall global opinion of those surveyed for Cirium as part of the poll in the UAE, China, the US and the UK. Slightly more global than just Middle Eastern travelers (31% compared to 27%) said they wanted more information about delayed and cancelled flights. Fewer (35%) of those who had experienced a delayed or cancelled flight globally, did not find it easy to change their travel plans compared to Middle East travelers (40%).

Significantly more travelers in the Middle East, 80% compared to 61% on a global level, were interested in using an app which alerted their friends, family or company if their flight was disrupted. — SG